, 1887-04-02

transference of the Beecher family from New
England to the West was an event of no
slight Importance in shping the history Of its
two most conspicuous members. Cincinnati,
close to which the Reverend Lyman Beecher
took up his abode, lies on the northern bank
OF the Ohio River; while upon the southern
bank the Slave State of Kentucky extends for
many a league. 1t was at Cincinnati. there
lore, that Henry Ward Beecher and his sister
Harrlet-hls senior by two years-picked IN
that intimate acquaintance with the under.
ground railway and with other details of
slavery which was destined to bear abundant
trult after many days. In his case it made
INN the most outspoken and persistent oppo-
nent OF the peculiar institution" at q time
when It was questionable, and even DANCE.
FouS' TO breathe a word againt it, and in her
case the sorrows OF the oppressed negro wrung
rom her the most successful and epoch-mak-
ing romance that ever saw the light. Henry
ward Beecher, after serving as minister to
two or three Congregational churches. in
Ohio and Indiana, between 1887 and 1847-
received a call from Brooklyn in the latter
year, and remained there until the end of his
lie. His sister, who had married the Reve-
rend DR.. Stowe in 1882, contributed in 1850.
to a W~ashngthon journal, the National Era.
an antl-slavery serial tale, which was publish
ed IN book from two years later, under the
name OF Uncle TOMS Cabin" and enjoys the
reputation OF having been translated into
more languages, and gone through more edi-
tlons, than any uninspired volume in the
English language, with the sole exception of
Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress"
henry Ward Beecher had not been long at
brooklyn before the rush to hear him was SO
great that 1t became necessary to build an
edlnce capable OF accommodating an audience
OF three thousand souls. Funds were at once
forthcoming, and in this manner Plymouth
Church was specially prepared for his occu-
patton. The adjoining city of New York
poured many OF It's sons and daughters every
Sunday into Brooklyn to join Mr.. Beecher's
own congregation, and with them to listen to
one Of the most fluent and withal amusing
preachers that ever held an audience spell
bound. There was in Mr.. Beecher's sermons
none Of the vast and subtle erudition which
lends such weight to the utterances of Canon
Liddon at st. Paul's, and little of the beauty
OF holiness which breaths from the SANITY
pages OF DR.. Arnold and Robertson of Brigh.
ton. Mr.. Beecher preferred to frame his
dlscourses upon the lines which in this coun-
try have since been followed by Mr.. Spurgeon,
and nothing gave him more offence than to
suggest that the pulpit was no place for poll
tics. On the contrary, he never ceased to
uplift his voice Vehemently against public
measures which he deemed objoctional, and
especially against slavery, so long as that
unholy and p~estilent institution exercised it's
malignant influence in the United States.
In the words of a familiar proverb, he Thought
every stick good enough to beat a dog which
he detested. He did not confne himself to-
the Scriptures for his texts, but chose them
sometimes from proverbs, from poems, and
even from the everyday utterances of profane
men. On one occasion a thrill of horror ran
through the land, and convuIsed the ''unco'
guld, when 1t was reported far and wide
that Mr.. Beecher had selected for his text
the unseemly words, cts damned hot and
had discoursed upon this theme to an over
flowing audience upon sultry evening in July.
The eccentric preacher explained that the
above words had saluted his ear as he entered
his church to perform evening service, and
he thought it no inappropriate moment to
repeat them, in order to impress upon his
hearers that ~blasphemy was one of the. great
vices of slaveowners and Southern men,
it i'll became a Northerner, when he repaired
to d place of holy worship, to initiate. In
enforcing his text, Mr.. Beecher' hahibually
leant as much upon moving his hearers to
laughter as upon touching their hearts or ap-
pealing to their reason. His sallies and humCS
rous sayings often brought down the house,
and the twinkle in his eye and thefun lurking
IVA